Principal's Message: 27 February 2026

Dear families,

Today, we remember our dear former student, Dario Dias, on the anniversary of his passing. Although his closest friends have moved on to secondary school in recent years, Dario remains fondly remembered within our community. 

We also ask God to bless his parents, Susana and Issac, and his older brother, Senan, today and always, as they continue to journey through life together.

We finished this week with a whole-school Clean Up Australia Day event, starting with our own backyard.

Charli and Jeremiah, our environmental leaders, were eager to set up something for this annual Australian event.

Classes were assigned a space on our school grounds to clean up this afternoon, and while our school usually looks clean, we could not believe the amount of rubbish collected. Unfortunately, teachers were too quick to dispose of the rubbish before I had the chance to take a photograph of the accumulation. 

On Monday, Ms Lycke will accompany a number of student volunteers who will make their way down to Altona Beach to continue our commitment to keeping our community clean.

Charli and Jeremiah will address the school at assembly on Monday afternoon with an update on our efforts.

At last week’s assembly, I reminded students of our Uniform policy and outlined specific items that require attention. 

In the last two years, when we transitioned from our old uniform to the new, we did not enforce our policy, as we did not want to place undue strain on parents. Now that this is the first year of our new uniform, this is a timely reminder.

I ask for your support in adherence to our policy, particularly around the following:

• If wearing runners as part of the school uniform, these must be completely black (Any other runners are suitable for sports days)
• The skort is only an option for sports days. On other days, students can choose to wear either the dress, shorts or skirt
• Jewellery: only a single-strand necklace with a single pendant, worn under the shirt/collar, is permissible; only simple studs or sleepers as earrings

I mentioned to students that following our school rules around uniform is very good practice for when they enter high school, where schools are very strict on this matter. While we don’t wish to follow such a punitive approach at St Mary’s, we do ask and expect your support in having your child in proper school uniform each day.

The policy in its entirety can be accessed here. If you have any questions about anything listed here, please contact us.

Last week, we gathered as a school community to celebrate Mass for the beginning of Lent, a sacred season of reflection, renewal and preparation for Easter. In his homily, Fr Michael invited us to think carefully about the small, everyday choices that shape who we are becoming. He drew our attention to the words of Pope Leo this season, who challenges us in a simple yet powerful way: to give up harsh words.

This invitation reminds us that Lent is not only about giving up material things, but also about transforming our hearts. Choosing patience over frustration, kindness over criticism, and encouragement over negativity can profoundly shape our relationships and our community. Words have the power to build up or to tear down, and this Lenten call encourages us to be people who speak with compassion, gentleness and love.

You can read Pope Leo’s full message here.

Wishing you a restful weekend,

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage